The Fight for Life (1940)

Plot Summary

The Fight for Life was documentary filmmaker Pare Lorentz' first "dramatic" film, utilizing the talents of several top New York stage actors. A tribute to the Chicago Maternity Center and its efforts to provide the best possible care for destitute mothers, the film is based on the book of the same name by Paul de Kruif. Myron McCormick plays the largest role as a dedicated intern, while others in the cast include such theatrical heavywrights as Will Geer, Dudley Digges and Dorothy Adams. The film's many vignettes range from the tragic (a mother dying in childbirth in the opening scene) to the exultant (another mother rescued from the brink of death in a disease-ridden tenement). Filmed in Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland, Fight for Life is a worthwhile effort, though Lorentz seems more comfortable with the "actuality" scenes than with the dramatized passages.

Full Cast & Characters

Myron McCormick

Dr. O’Donnell

Storrs Haynes

Hanson

Will Geer

Ballou

Dudley Digges

Chefarzt

Woody Guthrie

Dorothy Adams

The Young Woman

Dorothy Urban

The Grandmother

Effie Anderson

The Receptionist

Director & Crew

Where to Watch The Fight for Life Online

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